Staying Current in an Ocean of Technology

April 6, 2014

It
comes to no surprise when I say that the world of education is always changing.

Years
ago, education was very simple and straightforward. In the pioneer days,
children were educated in a one room schoolhouse. After they mastered a
skill, they taught others in their classroom, then went ahead to learn crafts
in their family trade. Education at the time mimicked the lifestyle that
took place at then. Many years later, the Industrial Revolution came to be and
with that, a reform with education as well. Jobs in this era consisted of
assembly lines. In order for students to be able to meet the needs of their
future employers, the school designed their curriculum around this idea.
Children needed to excel in the ability to complete repetitive tasks and how to
do solitary work in a group setting.

Children in this era were taught to learn
in the same place, at the same time, same rate, and in the same way.

Today,
we find ourselves in a time very different from years past. Most of us don’t
work in factories or assembly lines, yet our classrooms have not changed to fit
the needs of current society. Technology is changing and changing fast. Years
from now, I will laugh at how archaic my smartphone is, just like my mother
laughs about record players. Please don’t mistake my love for technology.
I agree it may not be enough to put a laptop in front of every student and
still treat them like an assembly line. Children still need the fundamentals to
collaborate, create, communicate, and be able to think critically. We should
use the technology given to teach these concepts.

I
take my job as an educator very seriously. I firmly believe that my job is to
educate these children into the 21 century. I must educate them to be
productive members of society…THIS society that we are currently in.

As a
young educator, I believe that I can bring useful information to the table of
the school that I currently teach at. I went to high school in the fourth most
populous city in the nation. I had access to smartboards and a plethora of technology.
While in middle school, I took a class where they taught us how to code. At the
age of 13, I had created my own website into proper HTML format.

Last
night opened my eyes to just how much I am not aware of. I created this blog
months ago and never kept up with it. Last night as I was designing my blog, I
found myself stuck as I was coding HTML. I panicked. I knew in the past how to
properly design, but it has been years since I have coded. I realized just how
fast everything changes and something that is current one day may be completely
outdated the next.

Sure,
I use my Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to connect with fellow teachers
from around the world.

How
amazing it is that I just said, ” from around the world”. We have
this amazing technology that enables me to receive free professional development from
teachers all over the world. There is an outlet and I feel that I have only
tapped into the surface.

So
please, follow me and let us share ideas that will enable students to be
productive members of the 21st century.